Fort Worth has landed another major equestrian event with the city and Dickies Arena being named hosts for the April 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final and FEI Dressage World Cup Final.
This prestigious international equestrian event is expected to bring more than 60,000 spectators over five days of competition with an estimated economic impact of more than $21 million dollars.
The U.S. last hosted the event in 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska, which is also hosting in 2023. Las Vegas was a recent host with one of the highest total attendances for the event, drawing 86,000 in 2007. Most recently, the competition was held in Leipzig, Germany, this past April.
“This is a major win for the City of Fort Worth and further bolsters our position as one of the best destinations in the world to host equestrian events,” said Fort Worth Director of Public Events Michael Crum.
The event was secured through a collaborative effort of the city of Fort Worth, Dickies Arena, the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Split Rock Jumping Tour and Visit Fort Worth.
“This is yet another opportunity for Dickies Arena and Fort Worth to highlight that we are a player on the international event scene,” said Matt Homan, General Manager and President of Trail Drive Management Corporation, the nonprofit entity that manages Dickies Arena. “We promised the city of Fort Worth we would bring in an array of top-notch events and we are making good on that promise with this incredible event.”
The competition will be broadcast to over 130 countries with more than 800 million impressions expected across all media platforms. More than 20 million people tuned in to watch the 2019 Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. The FEI World Cup Finals typically attracts anywhere from 250–450 members of the international media.
“We are extremely grateful to the FEI selection committee that chose Fort Worth and we are very excited about the opportunity to welcome their riders, sponsors and fans to our great city,” said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth.
The cost of hosting the event is estimated at $8.1 million, Crum said in an earlier report. He noted the host organizations plan to recover that investment through a combination of revenues that include ticket sales, hospitality sales, and sponsorships.
Jumping and Dressage are two of the eight disciplines governed globally by the FEI and are also represented in the Olympic games. Dressage is part of the Paralympic games, and Jumping is part of the Youth Olympic Games.
FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale) is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.